'Jordan Messi' tied up and returned to the K League...Lee Tae-seok said, "I'm motivated by the World Cup. I showed my competitive ability for the national team."

'Jordan Messi' tied up and returned to the K League...Lee Tae-seok said, "I'm motivated by the World Cup. I showed my competitive ability for the national team."

Blog Article

Pohang Steelers Lee Tae-seok, who returned from playing for the South Korean national soccer team, expressed confidence in the national team's full-back competition.

Lee Tae-seok played as a substitute in the second half of the sixth round of "Hana Bank K League 1 2025" between Pohang Steelers and Ulsan HD at Stillyard in Pohang on the 29th, leading the team to a 1-0 victory.

Lee Tae-seok was put in place of Kim In-sung at the beginning of the second half and played as a winger. He overcame the defensive contest and connected the ball given by Lee Ho-jae with a powerful left-footed shot in the 34th minute of the second half. The opposing goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo blocked it, but Lee Ho-jae pushed the second ball into the final goal.

With this victory, Pohang has risen vertically from 10th place to 5th place (two wins, two draws and two losses, eight points). It is the second consecutive victory in the league after winning the fourth round of the away game in Gwangju on the 22nd.

Lee Tae-seok said in the mixed zone (joint coverage area) after the game, "First of all, today's East Coast Derby was a really important game, and I'm very happy that we got three points and won another big game today."

Regarding the score, Lee Tae-seok explained, "First of all, I wasn't actually thinking about entering the wing forward, but I was able to enter again, so I came in with the idea that I should show aggressively anyway when I was not able to melt a lot of tactics against the team."

He added, "Those situations came to me again and I tried to hit some shots with the course, but I think those situations combined well and I was able to score like this."

While Lee Tae-seok was in the national soccer team, Pohang broke the long winless cycle in Gwangju. "First of all, I told the players before the game that I really want them to win," he said. "There were difficult times while watching the game, thinking that I cheered from afar and won again, and I think I was able to win my first victory because I saw the mindset of the players trying to win in those difficult times."

Lee Tae-seok, who was first called up for the A team in November last year, was called up for the second time in March and participated in all the 7th to 8th preliminary rounds in Group B of the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup (co-hosted by copyright, the U.S. and Mexico) in Asia.

Lee Tae-seok said, "Actually, I was less nervous than the first call-up, and in a way, I thought it was a really big opportunity for me, so I think I prepared hard and showed what I can do and what I have to show, so I think it was a happy call-up."

It is unclear who will be the starting member for the fullback position of the national team. Notably, as Lee played on the left side where Lee plays, he was impressed by Coach Hong Myung-bo. At the match against Jordan, he left an impression by blocking Moussa al-Tamari (Stadren), who eliminated Korea in the semifinals at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup held in Qatar in January last year. 안전놀이터

Lee Tae-seok, who is likely to compete in the national team and participate in the World Cup, expressed confidence, saying, "Of course, the stage of the World Cup is a great motivation for the player, and I think I showed everyone that I'm a player who can compete anyway by playing this time."

He said, "So I think those parts are important in the future, so I think I should do well to maintain such steady performances in the future."